George Winston, the celebrated solo pianist who sold more than 15 million albums over the course of his career, died Sunday, June 4. He was 73.
Winston’s death was confirmed on his website. He had been battling cancer for 10 years, undergoing a bone marrow transplant in 2013.
Winston rose to prominence in the early Eighties with a trio of records, Autumn, Winter Into Spring, and December, all of which were certified platinum in the United States (December even went three times platinum). His music seemed to incorporate elements of classical, jazz, folk, ambient, and New Age music, but as Winston put it in a Q&A for his website, he always called his “melodic style” of play “Folk Piano” or “Rural Folk Piano.”
“It is melodic and not complicated in its approach, like folk guitar picking and folk songs, and has a rural sensibility,” he said, adding: “Any other labels, including anything having to do with anything philosophical, or spiritual, or any beliefs, are also not accurate, as I have no interest in those subjects. I just play the songs the best I can, inspired by the seasons and the topographies and regions, and, occasionally, by sociological elements, and try to improve as a player over time.”
After those three blockbuster albums, Winston partnered with actress Meryl Streep for a special LP, The Velveteen Rabbit, where his piano was accompanied by the actress’ recitation of Margery Williams classic children’s story of the same name. In 1988, Winston provided music for This Is America, Charlie Brown, an eight-part miniseries about American history featuring Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts characters. And in 1994, he won the Grammy for Best New Age album for his LP, Forest.
Throughout his career, Winston found ways to push the boundaries of his playing. While two albums featuring the music of original Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi may have been a smart, straightforward choice for a star of solo piano, Winston also released a full album tribute to the Doors, Night Divides the Day, in 2002. His 2004 album, Montana: A Love Story, included interpretations of songs by Frank Zappa and Sam Cooke; 2019’s Restless Wind featured takes on George Gershwin and Stephen Stills tunes.
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